Thoughts on Tainan, Taiwan.
1. Tainan is not a pedestrian conscious city. It appears that most people drive scooters or drive. Parked scooters, tables & chairs often block and clutter sidewalks. I didn't even see many people walking down the sidewalks. This also might be due to the excessive humidity and heat, which causes one to sweat profusely, in huge drops. In the traffic hierarchy, pedestrians come last, after cars then scooters. One much pay great attention when crossing the street as scooters are everywhere and will cross against red lights if there are no cars around. However, Tainan is quite compact and one can traverse it by foot, easily.
2. Many open air restaurants exist. One can't even pass a block without encountering such restaurants. Unfortunately, being a vegetarian, I was not open to trying much of the food as it appeared to contain meat. However, one could eat fantastically here, as the food is plentiful and inexpensive.
3. Tainan houses many temples of the Daoist, Confucius, and Buddhist variety. You can find them at the end of little crowded alleys, tucked in between streets or within markets. You can find huge magnificent ones out in the "ecological areas", which are a good 30mn drive. They are complicated and often beautiful, but incomprehensible to me.
4. Tainan is not a particularly cosmopolitan city, I don't think many tourists, especially non-Taiwanese or Chinese tourists visit. It was challenging at times to find an English speaker. However, people seemed more or less friendly and curious. The ones I asked for directions were helpful and no one seemed wary of me. I believe, for the most part, it is a relaxed and safe place to live.
